To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

The teaching is simple: act with kindness and compassion. If you cannot do this, at least try not to harm others.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

Just as the wise do not take a mirage to be water, nor an echo to be a voice, so the enlightened do not take the world to be real.

You are the master of your own mind. You can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

The path is not about perfecting ourselves, but about perfecting our love.

The path of insight is a path of discovery, not a path of creation. We are discovering what is already there.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

The first step toward faith is to admit that we don't know everything.

Our basic nature is pure awareness that simply cognizes experience. Everything else is temporary and adventitious.

The path to liberation is a gradual path of self-discipline, self-development, and self-transformation.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

The nature of the mind is like the sky, and our thoughts, emotions, and experiences are like clouds passing through it.

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

The world is its own magic.

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.

Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

Through understanding emptiness, one does not become proud of one's virtues, just as one does not become proud of building a castle in the sky.